1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electrical contact strips useful with plug-in components and solderless connectors.
2. The Prior Art
Spring strips are insulating housings which are equipped with contact springs and which are generally fixed to the transverse component of a plug-in rack, so that when a plug-in unit is connected, contact blades or pins secured to the end of the plug-in unit penetrate between the contact springs and thus establish an electrical connection between the rack wiring and the electrical devices arranged in the plug-in unit. Solderless connections are increasingly being used for connections with such contact springs and strips. One such connection technique is the so-called wire-wrap method. The satisfactory application of such method necessitates connecting pins which are mechanically stable and have square-sections projecting from the spring strip.
Contact springs and connecting pins produced integrally from sheet metal are inexpensive but less than ideal devices since the contact springs comprise a relatively thin-walled material exhibiting a good spring elasticity whereas the connecting pins should consist of a relatively thicker material both square in cross-section and as mechanically stiff as possible.
Where the contact spring and connecting pin in the prior art have been composed of two metal components produced independently of one another, vibration and shaking occurring upon connection of a wire to the pin too frequently results in an impairment of the connection between the contact spring and the connection pin, including in some cases a complete break.